When it comes to the last year, the answer is quite simple when it comes to which sector, solar stocks or oil stocks, has won.
Solar stocks won.
Of course, this does not mean to say that all solar stocks have done extremely well over the last year. In fact, one of them has clearly lagged behind. But when it comes to the top five solar stocks and the top five oil stocks, the solar sector has clearly led the way, while the oil sector has offered investors a more stable, though less profitable, ride. In fact, according to recent stock market data, the top five solar stocks have offered investors an average return of 89.3% over the last year, while the top five oil stocks have offered investors an average return of 24.9%.
How the Top Five Solar Stocks Performed Over the Last Year
Of the top five solar stocks, SolarEdge has clearly led the pack. In fact, according to recent stock market data, SolarEdge has risen by an incredible 173.3% over the last year. Clearly, this has not happened by accident, and when one looks at the company’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, they find that the company has achieved 70% year-over-year revenue growth, its fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year revenue growth, and its fifth consecutive quarter of margin expansion.
Nextracker has clearly been the next best solar stock, having risen by an incredible 160.5% over the last year, according to recent stock market data. In fact, when one looks at the company’s fiscal third-quarter 2026 results, they find that the company has achieved revenue growth of 34% year over year to $909 million, adjusted EBITDA growth of 15% year over year to $214 million, and $953 million in cash with no debt on the balance sheet. Clearly, this is a company that has offered investors one of the strongest performances in the entire clean energy sector.
Another company that had a huge year was Sunrun, which rose by approximately 97.7% over the last 12 months, as evidenced by recent market data. According to the company’s full-year 2025 results, total revenue for the company came in at $2.96 billion, which is up 45% over the prior year. Energy systems and product sales revenue came in at 114%. This helped investors overlook some of the volatility that usually comes with investing in residential solar stocks.
First Solar had a moderate gain over the last 12 months, which came in at approximately 47.3%, as evidenced by recent market data. According to the company’s 2025 results, net sales came in at $5.2 billion, with diluted earnings per share at $14.21. First Solar did not have the explosive comeback that SolarEdge or Nextracker had, but it still benefited from being one of the stronger and more resilient solar stocks.
The only company that did not have a huge year was Enphase Energy. According to recent market data, Enphase lost approximately 32.5% over the last 12 months. According to the company’s fourth-quarter 2025 results, revenue came in at $343.3 million, with a non-GAAP gross margin at 46.1%. However, this was reduced by 5.1 percentage points due to tariffs. So, although the company had a decent profitability profile, investors were not ready to reward this company as they rewarded some of the other solar stocks.
How the Five Best Oil Stocks Performed
The oil stocks were not as exciting but were certainly more stable.
The first oil stock was Exxon Mobil. Recent market data show that this oil stock rose by 38.9% in the last year. According to its 2025 results, Exxon Mobil reported fourth-quarter earnings of $6.5 billion. Its operating cash flow was $12.7 billion, while its free cash flow was $5.6 billion. In addition, its total shareholder distributions were $9.5 billion. Therefore, while this oil stock was not as exciting as some others on this list, its sheer scale was certainly noteworthy.
The next oil stock was Occidental Petroleum. Its return in the last year was 26.7% according to recent market data. According to its fourth-quarter 2025 results, Occidental Petroleum was keen to point out its focus on capital discipline, portfolio enhancement, and improving its financial flexibility. This was important because Occidental Petroleum had a reputation for higher debt levels compared to some other oil stocks. Therefore, its focus on moving in the right direction was certainly welcomed.
The next oil stock was ConocoPhillips. Its return in the last year was 25.4% according to recent market data. According to its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, ConocoPhillips reported fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.17. In addition, it guided to 2026 capital expenditures of around $12 billion. Furthermore, it declared a quarterly dividend payout of $0.84 per share. This is certainly a very oil stock type of story.
Chevron has risen by about 23.8% in the last year based on recent stock market data. Based on the company’s fourth-quarter 2025 results, the company reported $2.8 billion in earnings, $10.8 billion in operating cash flow, and a 12% year-over-year increase in 2025 worldwide production to record levels. This has enabled the company to stay in the winner’s circle despite having a low rate of return compared to the top performers in the solar sector.
The worst performer in this group was EOG Resources. Despite this, the company still reported a positive rate of return of about 9.8% in the last year based on recent stock market data. Based on the company’s full-year 2025 results, the company reported $4.7 billion in free cash flow and returned 100% to shareholders in dividends and share repurchases. This shows the difference between oil and solar companies. Despite being the worst performer in this group, the company still reported a positive rate of return. However, this was still far below the best performers in the solar sector.
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Who Won the Battle of Biggest Return?
The best performer in this group was SolarEdge. The company reported a 173.3% rate of return in the last year. Nextracker was the second-best performer in this group. The company reported a 160.5% rate of return in the last year. Sunrun was also one of the best performers in this sector. The company reported a 97.7% rate of return in the last year. Exxon Mobil was the best performer in the oil sector. The company reported a 38.9% rate of return in the last year. This is a very good performance by the company. However, this is still far below the best performers in the solar sector.
So, the answer to the question of who won the battle of the biggest return is simple: solar stocks did, and they did with a large margin to spare. The tradeoff is that they were also much more volatile. According to the same market data source, solar had the biggest winners and loser, whereas oil had a much more limited range of performance.
The last year has been a tale of two very different investing stories.
Solar has been the higher-risk, higher-reward sector. When the market has believed in a turnaround or growth story, the potential returns have been huge. According to company results, SolarEdge, Nextracker, Sunrun, and First Solar have all had business developments that have given shareholders a reason to bid these stocks up substantially. However, Enphase has also demonstrated that if you are not buying into a bullish sentiment, a solar stock will not only go up but will go nowhere fast.
Oil has been the cash flow, discipline sector. According to company results, Exxon, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Occidental, and EOG have all leaned on earnings, production, dividends, buybacks, and free cash flow. This has given shareholders a smoother ride, but not as big a gain.
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